FICTION

Birrarung Wilam: A Story from Aboriginal Australia

by Aunty Joy Murphy & Andrew Kelly (text) & illus. by Lisa Kennedy
Candlewick. Aug. 2020. 40p. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781536209426.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2–In a look at the language of the Indigenous people of Australia, “Birrarung” is the Woiwurrung word for the Yarra River, which is near the city of Melbourne, and “Wilam” is the Woiwurrung word for “home.” Throughout the text, Woiwurrung words are used for animals and other elements of the natural world: possum, kangaroo, crow, wombat, rain, and sun. As the river rambles, the story does too. Along the way, it shows how each animal is key to the river ecosystem—and how the river is critical to their survival. Individual compositions lack a sense of cohesion, but the color palette of the illustrations progresses nicely from nighttime to sunrise to sunset. Some spreads use a pleasing combination of patterns to show the harmonious flow of water, land, and air.
VERDICT A necessary purchase, and co-written by a senior Aboriginal elder and the Yarra riverkeeper, this is one small step toward depicting a culture that is likely underrepresented in most collections.
Reviewed by Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA , Jul 01, 2020

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